West Ham Injury Update Ahead of Weekend Wolves Clash
By Adam Smith
West Ham have a daunting match up with Wolves ahead of them for match week three and these three players injury/absence updates will affect the team chosen.
Mark Noble – Toe
After missing out on the London Derby with Arsenal and two successful Carabao Cup matches for West Ham, the skipper Mark Noble is back fit and ready for action against Wolves. A toe injury sustained against Newcastle has sidelined him for the better part of two weeks.
With Wolves up next and two absences, one in the midfield and one in the defensive core, expect Noble to factor into the starting XI at the London Stadium. Noble has been used as a #10 which doesn’t fit his play style. If Declan Rice is needed elsewhere on the pitch, look for Noble to anchor in a double pivot with Tomas Soucek.
Noble technically hasn’t been missed on the pitch since going out injured. Wins over Charlton and Hull in the Carabao Cup and a bad-luck loss to Arsenal in the League have supporter and player morale unusually high. Noble’s intangibles will be needed, but there are questions over his usage moving forward.
Josh Cullen – COVID-19
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Josh Cullen was due to start in the Carabao Cup match against Hull but a last-minute positive test for the Coronavirus saw him pulled and put into isolation immediately from the London Stadium. He was reported as asymptomatic and now is confirmed to be still in isolation ahead of the Hammers’ clash with Wolves.
Cullen, who hasn’t had the easiest road to a career at West Ham, was dealt another unfair blow with this positive test. On the back of a strong performance against Wolves, he would have had a ton of momentum to push him to the first team, however, Jack Wilshere took his place and looked solid. It’s unclear where or how Cullen will impact the team moving forward, but he shouldn’t be counted out just yet.
Issa Diop – COVID-19
Alongside Josh Cullen, Issa Diop was pulled last minute from the Cup match against Wolves as he also turned in a positive Coronavirus test. The club has likewise confirmed he is home and isolating until he can produce a negative test. Even with a negative test, Diop hasn’t trained this week and would be extremely unlikely to factor into the team.
Once able to train, he’ll be back in the first team, but what should be done in his absence with the team? Against Arsenal, a five-at-the-back formation was used with Diop alongside Aaron Cresswell and Angelo Ogbonna at centre-back, so will Balbuena take his place? He was solid against Wolves but clearly doesn’t have the trust of David Moyes.
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Declan Rice could be pushed back to centre-back and Mark Noble could return to the midfield if the same formation if chosen for back-to-back matches. This wouldn’t be terrible, but ideally, Fabian Balbuena or Aji Alese should get a chance to play their natural positions over Rice and Cresswell.